Mark: good or bad?

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Howlan
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Re: Mark: good or bad?

Post by Howlan »

kaylahk17 wrote: 24 Feb 2020, 08:53 I think Mark's character was in a rough spot. I do not in any way condone cheating but I also see the relationship he was watching and missing out on. He saw the relationship between his wife and son and must have picked up on how strong it was. He also was excluded from a relationship with Adam. I would have felt hurt by that and unloved.
Yes Mark needed more exposure in the story.
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Post by Howlan »

Nym182 wrote: 24 Feb 2020, 10:43
Jac-o-lantern wrote: 22 Feb 2020, 04:25 I think that Mark was actually a good person. He loved his son and he initially loved his wife enough that he did not leave when they could not have their own child and turned to adoption. Even when his son was hateful towards him he still loved him. While I think the cheating was wrong he was looking for some kind of comfort considering all the strange things happening with his wife and son that he had no explanation for.
I agree with this! And you make a good point about the adoption thing... He really tried to hard to make everyone happy at one point and never really got any credit for it...
Yes, he always tries to bond with his son. Also he refuses to leave without seeing his son.
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Post by Howlan »

Nym182 wrote: 24 Feb 2020, 10:45
kaylahk17 wrote: 24 Feb 2020, 08:53 I think Mark's character was in a rough spot. I do not in any way condone cheating but I also see the relationship he was watching and missing out on. He saw the relationship between his wife and son and must have picked up on how strong it was. He also was excluded from a relationship with Adam. I would have felt hurt by that and unloved.
I felt the same way too... Mark was really put in a pickle and I think he tried his best but he is only human after all.
Yes, I do feel sorry for Mark and feel that he should have had more involvement in the story.
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Post by Howlan »

Nym182 wrote: 24 Feb 2020, 16:36
Howlan wrote: 22 Feb 2020, 08:50
Nym182 wrote: 21 Feb 2020, 10:37

I agree! While I don't condone what he did, I am guessing part of the reason he did it was he felt excluded from his family. There was the obvious bond between Jo and Adam, and everytime he tried to reach out to Adam he was shut down.
Yes that could definitely have played a role in his affair!
Makes Mark a lot more sympathetic in that light.
Yes, he should have been stricter towards his son.
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Post by Howlan »

bellajavier wrote: 25 Feb 2020, 22:33 Marks Character was so close to reality. His responses and feeling were very close and the most realistic. I'd place him in the good category with room for development.
Yes, if nothing else he was a great father.
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Nym182 wrote: 26 Feb 2020, 11:44
bellajavier wrote: 25 Feb 2020, 22:33 Marks Character was so close to reality. His responses and feeling were very close and the most realistic. I'd place him in the good category with room for development.
I agree, he was probably the most realistc character, and we never really got to chance to see his side of the story (don't get me wrong, he shouldn't have cheated on his wife but maybe that was a result of Jo and Adam having the serum/incest connection) before he was eliminated.
Yes he was very relatable. His actions and problems can be related to. His feelings towards his son were also relatable.
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Post by ciecheesemeister »

Mark was kind of an awful person cheating on his wife and gaslighting her into believing that she was crazy, but I think the way he died was overkill. In the end, he was a plot device to show that Adam had changed. I think I'm so over this story that my cynicism isn't even trying to hide anymore.
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Howlan wrote: 22 Feb 2020, 08:49
xuanmaii wrote: 20 Feb 2020, 15:12 Adam's father-Mark, though the way he treat his wife was kind of unacceptable, but he always tried to be a good father to Adam. Sometimes I felt pity for him because though not a perfect husband, he was a good dad, and till the end of his life he couldn't receive any kind of expression of love or gratitude from his son.
Yes, Mark cared for his son. It was sad to see that he put in an effort to please Adam but Adam was not responsive towards him. And he was just killed off due to Adam being a descendant. Quite sad really!
I agree! Mark obviously loved his son very much, but that love was never reciprocated.
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A good character. He does some morally wrong things but comes across as trying to be a father.
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Post by supraja_prasad »

I think Mark was a better father than he was a husband. If Adam had opened up more, we might have seen more of Mark. But that said, I felt that his character is the least explored in the book.
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Post by Howlan »

Stephanie Elizabeth wrote: 27 Feb 2020, 19:18
Howlan wrote: 22 Feb 2020, 08:49
xuanmaii wrote: 20 Feb 2020, 15:12 Adam's father-Mark, though the way he treat his wife was kind of unacceptable, but he always tried to be a good father to Adam. Sometimes I felt pity for him because though not a perfect husband, he was a good dad, and till the end of his life he couldn't receive any kind of expression of love or gratitude from his son.
Yes, Mark cared for his son. It was sad to see that he put in an effort to please Adam but Adam was not responsive towards him. And he was just killed off due to Adam being a descendant. Quite sad really!
I agree! Mark obviously loved his son very much, but that love was never reciprocated.
Yes I really feel sorry for that man. He felt left out in his own family.
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Post by Howlan »

Drakka Reader wrote: 27 Feb 2020, 19:50 A good character. He does some morally wrong things but comes across as trying to be a father.
Yes he tries really hard to bond with Mark.
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Post by Howlan »

supraja_prasad wrote: 27 Feb 2020, 22:20 I think Mark was a better father than he was a husband. If Adam had opened up more, we might have seen more of Mark. But that said, I felt that his character is the least explored in the book.
Yes you could see his definite joy when Adam had his first small talk with him in the story.
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Post by Rwill0988 »

Mark was human. He loved his son. When Adam gave him some attention, Mark just lit up. It was clear he wanted to have a relationship but Adam was never open to it.

His jealousy of his wife's youth and her relationship with Adam are no excuse for his cheating. JoAnn deserved better.
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Post by leareiler »

Mark wasn't my favorite, but I do think he deserved better treatment from Adam. He did actively attempt a friendly relationship with his son, and up until his affairs were discovered, he hadn't done anything wrong, really. It just boils down to Adam's attraction towards his mother being the reason he hates his father. I do think Mark's death was kind of disappointing and not really deserved, and I maybe would have liked to see his character try to make some kind of redemption. Or an attempt at redemption.
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